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New funding for Pendle to tackle the blight of gum litter
Published: Friday, 12th August 2022
“Pendle is to get Government funding to remove the blight of chewing gum stains from our streets,” announced Council Leader, Councillor Nadeem Ahmed.
The new funding, which was announced on 6 August, is part of a crackdown on litter.
Pendle, which has been granted £20,000, is one of 44 councils in Britain to get a share of £1.25 million this summer to help tackle the gum problem.
“The Chewing Gum Task Force grant scheme is being run by Keep Britain Tidy to clean gum off pavements and stop it being dropped in the first place.
“It's all about encouraging people to change their behaviour and to dispose of their gum responsibly.
“We know that most people take pride in their local area - but others are letting the side down, affecting the look and cleanliness of our towns,” explained Councillor Ahmed.
The annual clean-up cost of chewing gum for councils in the UK is around £7 million and, according to Keep Britain Tidy, a staggering 87% of England’s streets are stained with gum.
David Walker, Pendle Borough Council’s Environmental Services Manager said: “We welcome this funding to help us tackle this unsightly problem.
“It gives us an opportunity to remind a careless minority of people that dropping gum is littering which is a criminal offence.
“We can issue on-the-spot penalties for littering of up to £150 and this includes dropping gum.
“People who don’t pay their fines can face a hefty fine of up to £2,500 if they are taken to court and convicted of littering.
“Once the trial has ended, we hope that we can use what we've learnt to improve other areas across Pendle.”
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